


love the little monster (don't feed him to the wolves)

by nezstorm



Series: chasing tails [8]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Comfort/Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Kid Fic, M/M, Pre-Slash, Speciesism, Werefox Stiles, Young Peter Hale, kid stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-28 19:29:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13910649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nezstorm/pseuds/nezstorm
Summary: When Grandmother Hale announced she’d be coming to visit them in winter, everyone, even Mark who was the most laid back of them all, was worried. Because as much as they loved Stiles and never even considered giving him away when they found out he had no one but them, not all werewolves thought alike.





	love the little monster (don't feed him to the wolves)

When Grandmother Hale announced she’d be coming to visit them in winter, everyone, even Mark who was the most laid back of them all, was worried. Because as much as they loved Stiles and never even considered giving him away when they found out he had no one but them, not all werewolves thought alike. 

 

In fact, it was rare for wolves and foxes to get along. There was some lingering prejudice between their kinds, a result from territory disputes from centuries ago. 

 

These days, even though foxes were rare, werewolves were still quick to hate. 

 

Needles to say, Talia never mentioned their little adopted fox to the old Hale matriarch. 

 

\---

 

They did consider hiding Stiles for the few days the meeting would take. He certainly wouldn't mind a lengthy sleepover at Scott's, but before Peter could even point out to his sister and brother-in-law the biggest flaw in the plan, Stiles did it himself. 

 

He was a clever boy, so of course he'd find out what was going on. No matter how soundproof the room, or how much they talked around the problem. 

 

"Do you," the boy started haltingly, his eyes cast down and lower lip trembling, “Don’t you want me anymore?”

 

“No. No, Stiles, that’s not it at all.” Talia swooped him up and clutched him close, rocking him softly. Mark, Laura and Peter crowded in close to offer comfort, Derek and Cora being too young to be included in the discussion and hence absent. 

 

“You’re one of us, little frog,” she told him, cupping one chubby cheek in hand to make him look at her and listen, “You’re pack, baby, we’ll never abandon you. But there are wolves who grew up thinking bad of your kind and we don’t want any of them to hurt you.”

 

“We want you safe,” Laura added, smoothing her hand down Stiles’ back.

 

“You don’t like foxes?” the boy asked, looking from one concerned face to another.

 

“We don’t mind them, Red, and we all love you,” Peter assured him. He plucked the kit from Talia’s arms and let the boy nestle his head under Peter’s chin. “But you have to understand that not all wolves are like that and might be mean to you because of what you are. And that’s why we wanted for you to stay with Scott,” Peter gently tugged at one of Stiles’ ears, “Do you understand what I’m saying, Stiles?”

 

He felt the boy nodding against his throat, “Yeah.”

 

Peter rubbed Stiles’ back as the boy calmed down and looked to his sister. It was her decision to make after all. 

 

Talia looked at him, then to her husband and eldest daughter, before looking back at the bundle in Peter’s arms.

 

“I guess I’ll give Grandmom a call.”

 

\---

 

Peter stuck close to Stiles all through the meeting. It wasn’t only the fact that Talia warned them from leaving the boy alone, they were all going to keep an eye on him anyway, but Stiles actually clung to Peter as he nervously observed all the unfamiliar werewolves.

 

He allowed the boy to take advantage of the situation and all the comfort he needed. No matter if it meant Stiles clutching Peter’s fingers in his small palm as they walked around the house. He didn’t grimace or tease the little fox when he tugged at Peter's sleeves and held his arms out in the universal sign for "hold me". He just caught him under his armpits and lifted him up, cuddled him to his chest and glared at anyone who looked like they were going to comment.

 

He even put him on his shoulders when the boy grew bored of milling around, and Stiles just folded his arms atop Peter's head and leaned his chin on them, watching the room from his new vantage point. Up until the kit run out of interesting things to point out andstarted gnawing on Peter’s ear.

 

In a second, Peter had him off his shoulders and flipped upside down so he could glare at him. All it resulted in was laughter and demands to be thrown into the air because “I know you’ll catch me, Peter”.

 

Peter resigned himself to dangling the imp by his ankles, while he fought a fond smile. He might have used the fact that Stiles couldn’t kick him like that to his advantage, and blown a raspberry against Stiles’ tummy.

 

At dinner he let Stiles sit in his lap and didn’t bat an eye when Stiles tried to feed him bits of broccoli, this once no one would complain about Stiles eating his greens. 

 

Peter wasn’t sure if Talia managed to convince their Grandmother that their little fox was a part of their pack and family, Talia herself could never tell from the phone calls. He didn’t know if him keeping watch over his little charge discouraged any wolves from approaching them, - he did see some of them looking at Stiles with disdain, - but they were mostly left alone throughout the day.

 

He let Stiles out of his sight only once, when he had to go to the bathroom, but he left the boy with Derek. His nephew was Stiles’ second favorite in the pack after Peter after all.

 

When he returned it was to Stiles who just finished climbing into Grandmother Hale’s lap.

 

“Can you tell me a story?” he heard the kit ask.

 

Peter had the urge to run over, sweep Stiles away and flee the country until Talia gave him the all clear, and he noticed Laura looking at Stiles much the same. In fact, the whole room had grown quiet waiting for what Gran would do with the little fox.

 

But all the matriarch did was smile at him benignly and pull him closer.

 

“What kind of story would you like to hear, sweetheart?” 

 

Completely ignorant to the tension in the room the little fox requested something involving robots or:

 

“Do you know any wereturtles? ‘Cause I really like Raf and Donatello and the others, but Uncle Mark said it’s only a cartoon. But I know there are mermaids - though not like in The Little Mermaid - so maybe there are wereturtles too? Do you know any?”

 

And Gran listened to him chatter without a trace of ill intentions.

 

Peter still hovered though, his hands twitching and ready to just grab Stiles. Even when Grandmother pointed it out and told him to go take a break from babysitting, she knew how exhausting children could be.

 

And Peter tried. But he kept drifting back, worried up until Stiles fell asleep in Gran's arms and Peter was finally allowed to take him back.

 

“You did good, Peter, saving this child and taking care of him,” she told him with a soft smile as she watched him hold Stiles close to his chest. 

 

Peter looked at her for a moment and nodded, and then slipped upstairs to his room to curl up with Stiles. He listened to the boy’s slow, calm breathing and finally let himself feel relieved. 

  
  



End file.
